


fraternalis

by merionettes (acchikocchi)



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Childhood Friends, Gen, Implied/Referenced Sibling Abuse, M/M, borrowed family, typical miklan shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:48:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24491545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acchikocchi/pseuds/merionettes
Summary: He shouldn't have ever told Felix how to find his secret hiding place, then it wasn't asecretany more. Stupid him.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius & Sylvain Jose Gautier, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Comments: 5
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> medieval latin for a fake medieval setting. for sylvain birthday week 2020, day 1: "family".

"Sylvain? Sylvain?"

Felix liked to say his name. Sylvain thought it was because he could say it properly now, like he wanted to show off for all the times Sylvain and Ingrid had teased him over _Thylvain, Thylvain._

He pretended he couldn't hear it. He shouldn't have ever told Felix how to find his secret hiding place, then it wasn't a _secret_ any more. Stupid him.

Rustling leaves, then huffing and puffing as Felix came crawling through the tangled bushes and bumped into Sylvain's knees. There wasn't a lot of room in the space where the alderflower hedges crowded up against the manor wall. That was why it had been such a good secret. 

Sylvain kept his head down, his knees drawn up, and his face pressed against his arms.

An insistent tug on his sleeve. "Sylvain."

"What," he tried to say, only it got drowned in a loud sniff. He rubbed his face against his sleeve and tried again. "What."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You look sad."

"I said I'm fine."

"You sound funny," Felix persisted. 

Sylvain lifted his head.

His right eye was hot and throbbing in the way he knew meant he'd see a big purply-black ring around it next time he looked into the mirror. His nose hurt. There was a cut on his lip – he couldn't stop touching it with his tongue, and it stung every time – and probably blood dried on his chin. His stupid Crest wasn't even good for stupid healing. The Goddess should have just given it to Miklan and left Sylvain alone.

Felix gasped, round-eyed. "Did you get in a fight? Did you beat them?"

He couldn't bring himself to say _no_. "Miklan was mad."

"Oh." The awe fell from Felix's face. "Does it hurt?"

"No," Sylvain lied. He scrubbed at the damp trails left on his cheeks. "It's just Miklan."

"What happened?"

Sylvain looked down at his knees. He didn't want to say it. Now that he thought about it, it was so – so _foolish_.

Felix was waiting, eyes big and worried. Sylvain gulped and said, "I asked if I could help him. With the horses." 

Felix said again, subdued, "Oh."

"I knew he wanted to do it by himself. It was stupid."

"No it wasn't! Horses are scary!"

"They're not scary, Felix," Sylvain began, heaving a sigh, but he didn't really want to argue today. 

Usually Felix argued back. But instead he was quiet and frowning; he looked like he was thinking hard. As hard as a six year old could think, anyway, everyone knew you didn't get real grown-up thoughts until you were at least eight.

Sylvain was just about to ask what he was thinking about when Felix said, very seriously, "I have an idea." He took a deep breath. "You can borrow Glenn."

"Huh?"

"'Cause Miklan's not – not – he's mean. And even when he fights you he doesn't help you get better. So instead… you can borrow Glenn sometimes." Felix bit his lip. "Or we can share. If you want."

Sylvain's lip was trembling. He bit it. He _hated_ crying, it was gross and hot and messy and he _couldn't control it._ "That's really nice of you, Felix," he said, and sniffed loudly again. "But I don't know if that will work."

Felix frowned. "Glenn's a really good brother."

"I know, I—" _I wish Miklan was like him_ , Sylvain wanted to say, but he couldn't. He swallowed. "I think Glenn's really cool. He – he's the best. You should probably ask him first, though, he might not want any more brothers. Not when he has to put up with you already." His voice wavered a little on the last part. 

"Sylvain!" Felix punched him in the leg and then stuck his tongue out at him, but it didn't hurt because Sylvain was almost three years older, ha ha.

Maybe no one really would notice if one day he just… went home with the Fraldariuses. The Duke was kind of scary but Glenn and Felix liked him, so he couldn't be that bad, right? And then Sylain could play – train with Felix every day, and Glenn would teach him how to fight, and he'd go home and Miklan would come out to see who the tough-looking knight at the gate was and Sylvain would say _Ha, bet you don't recognize your little—_

Felix was talking, Sylvain realized as he swiped his sleeve across his eyes again. "—ask him, okay? Okay?"

"Sure."

Felix got up on his knees and for a minute Sylvain thought he was going to go running off to find Glenn right that minute. He opened his mouth, but—he couldn't ask Felix not to leave, that was stupid. He didn't need a little kid to hold his hand, not even one as cool as Felix. That was weak. And if he was ever going to beat Miklan he couldn't be weak.

Felix didn't leave though. Instead he scooted over to where Sylvain sat with his back against the stone and settled in next to him. It felt kind of warm and nice, like having a puppy curled up next to you.

"Sylvain?" Felix whispered.

"Yeah."

"I wish you were my brother also."

"Yeah," Sylvain choked out, as the gross, snotty surge of tears finally won and he pressed his face into his damp sleeve. "Me, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't worry, i hurt myself too. coda on the way. in the meantime, hmu/cry with me [@matchedpoint](http://twitter.com/matchedpoint).


	2. Chapter 2

The ugly truth was that sometimes he'd looked at Glenn and Felix and been so overwhelmed with jealousy he couldn't breathe. That when the news from Duscur reached home, a horrible, twisted part of him thought, _Now you understand._

Even then, though, he knew that wasn't true. The truth was that now he was the one who didn't understand. He knew what it was like to live without a real brother. He didn't know what it was like to lose one.

He confessed as much to Felix, finally, one night – one of the long nights of northern midsummer, when the sun barely slipped below the horizon and in the liminal grey twilight of the deep hours, you found yourself talking of things that fled from both day and night. It was Sylvain's turn to visit Fraldarius lands, old guilt dragged up by old memories.

He thought maybe Felix would turn away, as he often did when he wanted to process emotion in the illusion of solitude. Instead, Felix remained curled toward him, gaze heavy on Sylvain across the small, close space. Sylvain didn't know what he was thinking.

"You're hard on yourself," Felix said quietly. It wasn't the first time.

Not hard enough, Sylvain wanted to say, but simply shrugged. His elbows rested against his knees, sheets loose around his waist. He freed one to reach out and brush the tangles of hair from Felix's eyes. 

Felix's eyes slipped closed. He leaned into Sylvain's hand. A terrible crush of affection caught Sylvain in a vise.

Felix's eyes opened. "Do you remember…"

When he stopped, Sylvain trailed a finger down the curve of Felix's jaw and brushed it across his lips. Felix gently closed his teeth around it, let it go again. "Do I remember?" Sylvain prompted.

"Do you remember, one time when we were kids, we were talking about Glenn. The time that I—" Felix was blushing. "That I said I wished you and I were brothers, too."

As if he'd ever forget. He wondered if Felix remembered the rest of what he'd said, or if it was too raw, pushed away to protect himself. He didn't ask. Instead he waggled his eyebrows in lascivious exaggeration. "Good thing we weren't, huh?"

"Shut up," Felix said, but it was rote. Color darkened his cheeks. "I think if he – I think he would have been happy."

Sylvain snorted. "That we're not committing incest?"

Felix's eyes were dark and steady. "To know you were his brother-in-law."

One long, horrible moment, pinned under Felix's too-knowing gaze, and then Sylvain couldn't stand it a single moment longer, had to turn away – he couldn't see, because both hands were pressed to his face, because – because – 

"Sylvain," Felix said in a low voice, and "Give me a second," he said, choked, as the tears dripped through his fingers and Felix's arms slipped around his back, holding him tight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i couldn't just leave it there. happy sylvain week!


End file.
